February 2013 is a month we hope to forget but also learn from as our budget took a right hit coming out into the negative. As you already know we had our water softener go belly up and I had to replace that to the tune of over $1100. The good thing is I received Sears points and Canadian Tire MasterCard rewards points as well have 90 days to hope the unit goes on sale for less than $899.99. That way I can go in to Sears and get a product price adjustment. We also had Union Gas around to change our old meter to a new updated meter so I’m guessing we can expect higher bills from now on. Over time the older meters don’t read correctly, hence Union Gas wanting to change them. It was good while it lasted. We also had an increase in our telecommunications bill which I touch on later in the blog post. Let’s see, we had to pay city taxes, our electricity and water bill which comes every 2 months. I noticed a spike in our water bill and once I get the next bill I should be able to pinpoint why and I’ll blog […]

A True Budgeting Story: Thanks for sharing your story Jen. Fans-I realize it’s longer than a normal post but I felt it important to share her full story rather than bits. This is very inspirational and I hope you enjoy it and realize anything is possible. Thank you for being a loyal fan Jen and keep on budgeting!-Mr.CBB When I was younger I remember my parents always saying they were “in the hole” and talking about their credit line. We were never really went without anything and we still took family vacations (more so as I got a little older). Now, in my early to mid 30’s with a husband and a 20 month old son, we are over $41,000 (Line of credit and two car loans) in debt not including the mortgage. Here’s Our Story I got my first job at 14 and worked all through high school and college (I was lucky enough that my parents paid for my schooling). I have always been in and out of debt since I was young and it wasn’t until now that I really started to buckle down. It got so scary that we even went through the process of being on the TV show […]

Money Mistakes aren’t always in your face but we learn from these mistakes to make it right the next time. There are many reasons people fall into debt but there are more reasons about why they should get out of debt even if that means fighting for your legal rights. You don’t need to make millions to use a budget but you do need to see the numbers. One of my fans contacted me with a story she wanted to share about her biggest money mistake. Not everyone is willing to step up to say “this is what happened” and “this is what I had to do to fix it“. Julie took steps to get back on track and I hope others can learn from her story and not be taken advantage of. Take your failures and make them a success story like Julie. Here is Julie’s Story…… Hello Mr. CBB! When I separated from my ex-husband, I had to file for bankruptcy. I wasn’t mismanaging funds but what landed me in hot water was failure to protect myself from love and money. This chapter in my life has taught me to become fairly self-reliant whilst living on no credit. Great lessons learned […]

I’m no stranger to debt denial but it’s not me who has the problem. Every once in a while I get this chill that goes down my back when my mate, let’s call him “Bobby” rings me up. I know he is broke and always wanting to borrow money so he can go to the club, pay his bills and whatever else he does with his money. The problem is he doesn’t look or act like he is broke and drowning in debt. He makes close to 6 figures a year, drives a fancy car, dresses exceptionally well, takes good care of his grooming and body and he is in his early 30’s. He’s one of those guys you love to hate because you just don’t get him. He rolls with it, has many friends, lots of girls and not a penny to rub his nose in… but he does have credit and lots of it. As a matter of fact his credit card company just gave him an extra $3000 to spend on his already maxed out credit card. He’s the type that wants to get out of debt fast but is rubbish at managing debt. While this scenario is […]

Photo source For some say the word budget and they turn their head the other way. It’s almost taboo to be on a budget for some. They think budgets are for poor people, I don’t need to budget. Ya right, time to get a grip! I’ve never had a problem telling anyone “No” but sometimes it can get frustrating when people just don’t understand. Have you ever met someone who tells you what they do for a living and you automatically assume they have lots of cash? Likely, we all do it but is it the correct way to be thinking?- No Why is that not the correct way to think? It’s simply not always the case and we don’t know what happens in everyone’s budget and life. How do you know they have a healthy bank account? Can you read minds? (if so please click here and contact me…. I could use your ability) There are lots of people earning 6 figure incomes but are in debt because they spend more than they earn or have massive student loans to pay back etc. Education is not cheap and most pay for it for years. Another example is when you say oh […]

All CBB Categories

Archives Since 2012

Check Out These Deals

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs' author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Mr.CBB and Canadianbudgetbinder with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.